A detective who stopped an attempted armed robbery while off-duty is no longer with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
The department said Lance Spiotto’s official separation date was Aug. 1. A spokesperson said they could not release any other information about Spiotto’s departure because it is a personnel issue.
However, the president of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association said they received a letter of termination for Spiotto late last week.
The LVPPA president couldn’t say with certainty why Spiotto was terminated.
The now former detective’s departure comes about 8 months after he was involved in a shooting while trying to stop an armed robbery at the West Flamingo Animal Hospital.
Spiotto was off-duty at the time.
Two shots were fired while Spiotto wrestled with the suspect, identified as Ronald Clark.
Days after the shooting investigators said they were looking into whether Spiotto was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the shooting.
"It was determined they could smell the odor of an alcoholic beverage," Undersheriff Kevin McMahill said at a press conference in December 2016.
While neither the police department nor the LVPPA would say exactly why Spiotto is no longer with the department, Spiotto has filed a lawsuit against the LVMPD.
The suit filed in federal court claims investigators violated Spiotto’s civil rights during the investigation into the shooting.
It lists 7 causes of action including: detention without arrest, wrongful arrest, wrongful search and seizure and false imprisonment, as well as several lesser claims.
In the lawsuit, Spiotto claims after being treated for injuries sustained in the fight with the armed robbery suspect, he was improperly detained by investigators.
Spiotto says he was eventually discharged from the hospital after he was detained for more than the hour.
The filing goes on to say once a detective involved in the investigation learned he left the hospital, the officer driving Spiotto was ordered to return to the hospital.
Once they arrived the lawsuit says, "Det. Jex informed Det. Spiotto he was under arrest for being under the influence of alcohol while in possession of a firearm."
In a nine-page written response, Las Vegas police denied the allegation on several grounds.
Spiotto’s lawyers would not comment on the filing.
